Impact of rainfall and temperature on crop yield variations in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam plain in India

Keywords: Temperature & Rainfall, Crop-Yield, Agro-Ecological Zones, Brahmaputra Valley, Coefficient of Variation, Multiple Regressions.
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 09:40 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 11:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 4

Abstract

About 30% of the Brahmaputra basin is covered by forest. The rural lives are basically linked mainly with the subsistence mode of farming, livestock rearing, and traditional fishing closely connected with the wetlands (Bhuyan, M. J. 2016). The agricultural sector dominates the economy of the Brahmaputra Valley, India, with more than 50 per cent to the total gross domestic product and employs about 70 per cent of the workforce in the region. The annual flood and erosion is shattering the fragile agro-economic base of the region. As a result, thousands of acres of cultivable lands are lost. Due to flood hazards many farmer have become landless and have been forced to migrate. Rural agrarian livelihood is in threats due to natural hazards. In spite of favourable agro ecological conditions for agricultural development and growth, the trend is observed general trend is one of stagnation. This present research examines the effect of temperature and rainfall on crops yield variation of the Valley, using major crops yield, temperature and rainfall data collected from the Government agencies of Assam, India. Coefficient of variation and multiple regression techniques were used to examine the data and it was found that there exists a relationship between the climate variables and crop yield variations in the ago-ecological zones in the Brahmaputra valley of North Eastern India. It is observed that there exists significant inter and intra regional variability and trend of rainfall and crop yield variations.